New committee meets to discuss mandatory gun ownership in Craig

A new committee met for the first time Thursday to address Craig’s concerns about a proposed gun ordinance that would require heads of households to carry sporting rifles capable of accepting high-capacity magazines.

The ordinance was proposed at a Craig City Council meeting April 23 by Craig resident and business owner Craig Rummel.

Currently, the committee is working on the proper wording in the ordinance before it presents it to City Council again, Rummel said.

“I think we need to have an open and free discussion about where we want to go with this,” Rummel said. “We’re proceeding, and we want to change things, and we want to do it in the proper manner so as many people are happy with it as possible.”

The original goal of the ordinance was to make a statement to Colorado lawmakers, highlighting that two of the gun control bills recently passed by the Colorado General Assembly were the wrong choice for those who live in rural Colorado, Rummel said.

“The reason why I’m trying to do this is because the state Legislature and the elected officials are not concerned about the economy and Northwest Colorado,” Rummel said. “The money that comes into this community for hunting is huge.”

Six men met at Rummel Chiropractic Center in Craig on Thursday to discuss the language of the proposed ordinance and the outcome such an ordinance would have on the community.

“I think people should have a firearm to help protect our community,” said Kent Nelson, who sits on the committee. “The community in which we live, we need to stand up for our Second Amendment rights.”

The small Colorado town of Nucla, roughly 50 miles south of Grand Junction, recently passed a mandatory firearm ownership ordinance that has certain exemptions.

“There’s going to be people here who are for this and people who are against this,” Rummel said. “I think we need to have an open and free discussion about where we want to go with this.”

Rummel hopes to present the newly edited ordinance to City Council sometime in June. He’s trying to work with the city attorney to ensure it’s legal.

Noelle Leavitt Riley can be reached at 970-875-1790 or nriley@CraigDailyPress.com

Comments

I am going to place myself in the "I don't want to own a sporting rifle capable of accepting high-capacity magazines" as defined by the ordinance itself.
As far as home security, my 20 gauge will more than do the job therefore negating the "need" for the "sporting rifle capable of accepting high-capacity magazines".

i think that everyone who can legally possess a firearm should have the option to own one. to have an ordinance saying the citizens have to have a firearm is wrong. i'll be willing to bet that the people pushing for this ordinance are of the same group that says having a healthcare mandate is wrong and that the government is intruding in our lives. i guess if it's something that they support they don't have too much of a problem with the government intruding into our lives. if it's something they don't support they say the government has no business intruding in our lives. you can't have it both ways.